Lebanese Women Demonstrate against Inequality

Published May 11th, 2000 - 02:00 GMT

Lebanese women activists lobbied outside Parliament Wednesday in another attempt to garner support for the amendment of laws which discriminate agains

Lebanese women activists lobbied outside Parliament Wednesday in another attempt to garner support for the amendment of laws which discriminate against women and contradict international conventions signed by Lebanon, the Lebanese Daily Star said.

Nearly 40 women from the Committee for Abolishing all Discrimination against Women gathered in Nijmeh Square, demanding that women be allowed to give their children their own nationality and be treated on a par with men when it comes to the labor law and personal status laws.

A team of women, led by committee president Linda Mattar, was able to meet Premier Salim Hoss and Speaker Nabih Berri who promised to include the issues on Parliament's agenda, added the newspapaer.

The campaigners relayed their concerns to Hoss that a number of public sector female employees were being asked to reimburse the government for hospitalization expenses for their spouses or children.

Lebanon signed the international Convention for the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) in 1996, and registered its reservations against two of the articles.

Among them was Article 9/2, which stipulates that women should have equal rights to men in keeping their nationality and passing it on to their children, the daily said.

Women's rights activists have also been pressuring the government to cancel its reservations concerning amendments to nationality and personal status laws.

But many women grudgingly admit that it will be a while before they achieve their goal - Albawaba.com